By Mark Bennett
They have the last half of the Missouri Valley
Conference schedule left. And if the Indiana State Sycamores
hope to salvage the 2001-02 season, they know they'll need inspired
play through their final nine regular-season games.
Their lineup for tonight's 8:05 p.m. game
at Bradley could reflect that need.
Senior guard Kelyn Block will return from
a seven-game absence after midseason knee surgery. Block, the
Sycamores' leading scorer, could start, though his amount of
playing time is uncertain. Also in the starting lineup could
be 6-foot-9 freshman forward Jerod Adler. If so, it would be
Adler's first collegiate start.
Could Block's return lift the spirits of the
Sycamores (4-14 overall, 2-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference)
against Bradley (6-12, 3-6) tonight in Carver Arena?
"I hope so," ISU Coach Royce Waltman
said Wednesday.
And the possibility of starting Adler could
also jolt the Sycamores after a deflating 59-53 home loss Sunday
to Southwest Missouri State on the heels of what could have been
a breakthrough victory at Northern Iowa on Jan. 23. In the SMS
game, Adler played only three minutes, but delivered an impressive
three-point play that floored his Bears defender.
"We sort of bottomed out in the Southwest
game," Waltman said. "It's as low as I've been this
year. And we need guys who display enthusiasm, and Jerod does
that. And hopefully, he'll infuse some of that into the team."
Though the SMS game unraveled into a rash
of missed free throws and field goals, the Sycamores got another
strong game from point guard Lamar Grimes and a stellar performance
from senior forward Djibril Kante, who had a career-high 20 points
and 11 rebounds. Since Block's injury, ISU has gone 2-5, and
two of those losses were by a single point.
In that stretch, some younger players added
to their statistics. Grimes had double-figure point totals in
six of those seven games. Sophomore guard Marcus Howard hit double-digits
five times. And junior Matt Broermann did that twice.
Waltman hopes those contributions continue
when Block returns. He was averaging 11.8 points and 4.9 rebounds
per game when a collision in a Dec. 29 loss to Bowling Green
forced him to undergo surgery later that week to repair a torn
muscle around his right kneecap. Before that injury, ISU was
averaging 57.4 points per game. In the next seven games, the
Sycamores raised that to 61.6.
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| Tribune-Star/Joseph
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| Swat back: Indiana State's
Djibril Kante (left) blocks the shot of Wichita State's Troy
Mack during their game earlier this month in Hulman Center. |
"It's really important that guys like
Marcus and Broermann and Grimes don't retreat," Waltman
said. "Because one of the problems before Kelyn got hurt
was that he was the only one doing it. So we're looking forward
to when he's 100 percent."
In practice Tuesday, Block looked strong,
Waltman said.
"From a basketball standpoint, watching
him [Tuesday], there's no reason to keep him out because of rust."
Block said he is anxious to return.
"I'm just glad to get out there,"
he said Wednesday. "After a few days, I'll be fine."
And he's flexible about playing time. "Whatever
they decide, I'm all for it," he said.
Kante is anxious to see Block playing again.
The Kansas native had appeared in all 104 of his previous games
as a Sycamore.
"It's going to be big. We've been missing
Kelyn," Kante said. "He's always been an emotional
part of this team."
There is still time to make a season-ending
run toward a strong showing in the MVC Tournament on March 1-4
at St. Louis, an event ISU won in three straight victories as
the fifth seed in 2001. Their younger teammates are a key, Kante
said. If they finish the regular season seventh or lower, they'll
have to play on all four nights of the tournament.
"We need to try to open these kids' eyes
to see how good they can be," Kante said. "We've got
to get some wins together. If we want any chance to do anything
in the postseason, a four-nighter is almost impossible. A three-nighter
was hard enough last year."
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